Pinching Power

The leaning tower of Atlanta

Atlanta's new Georgia Power Co. building, which will be opened early next year, may be the shape of things to come in an era of expensive energy. The south wall of the 24-story edifice looks like an upside-down staircase: each floor overhangs the one below, so that the top of the building sticks out 23 ft. farther than the bottom. This unusual construction helps block out sunlight on steamy summer afternoons, thus reducing the need for air conditioning. But during the winter, when the sun is lower in the southern sky, the warming rays will be able to shine into offices and provide natural heating.

The Georgia Power building is an example of the extraordinary efforts being made by American businesses to cut operating costs by conserving fuel. Since the 1973 oil embargo, commercial power consumption per employee has dropped an impressive 11%.

Atlanta's new tower has become a laboratory for energy-saving devices. A computer automatically shuts off all lights at 6 p.m. unless instructed to leave some on. Advanced sodium-vapor light fixtures focus illumination on desks instead of dispersing the glow throughout the room. This alone should cut electricity use for lighting by half. A 300,000-gal. underground tank stores water that is chilled overnight when power costs are lower; the water is then used in the air-conditioning system during the daytime. Jobs that require work at unusual hours will be concentrated in an adjoining three-story building so that the taller structure is not heated or cooled unnecessarily. In all, Georgia Power expects these conservation techniques to cut energy bills for the complex by 60%.

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